The aughts gave us quite a few classics. From smaller movies like Children of Men and Memento and Oscar darlings like No Country for Old Men and The Departed to mega-franchises like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Pirates of the Caribbean, it was a decade with cinematic variety. And, naturally, some stars in the industry were at least somewhat responsible for many of those movies’ success. What follows are the highest-grossing stars (domestically) from the year 2000 to the year 2009.
Note that uncredited performances counted towards performers’ total adjusted domestic gross. This means that even Samuel L. Jackson’s cameo in Iron Man allowed that MCU opener to count towards his total. That said, it needed to be an uncredited performance. The actor needs to speak a line. In other words, Minority Report didn’t count for Cameron Diaz, even if she is technically in it for a second (as a bus passenger).
10 Matt Damon
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $2.669 Billion
Whether he’s playing the title character or part of an ensemble, Matt Damon has been a reliable presence in Hollywood for a while now. It wasn’t even just the 2000s where Damon proved to be a draw, though he did get off to a rough start with 2000’s Titan A.E. And, for that matter, The Legend of Bagger Vance and All the Pretty Horses weren’t big moneymakers, either.
Mostly Thanks to Bourne and Ocean’s
But in 2001 he was part of Ocean’s Eleven which was, of course, substantial. The early aughts also had Damon begin to lead his first franchise with The Bourne Identity, and that unexpectedly lucrative IP only got more profitable with its first two sequels. Toss in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning The Departed and some mid-budget and mid-profit smaller movies and it was an all around solid decade for Damon.
9 Cameron Diaz
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $2.84 Billion
Cameron Diaz‘s last movie was Annie back in 2014, but her fans shouldn’t fret because she’ll soon come out of retirement for the suitably-named Back in Action. The ’90s made her a household name with The Mask, My Best Friend’s Wedding, and There’s Something About Mary, but her most profitable decade was the aughts. She got off to a great start in 2000 with Charlie’s Angels, then Shrek in 2001.
Voicing Princess Fiona Proved to Be a Reliable Gig
2001 also gave her the lucrative cerebral drama Vanilla Sky, 2002 put her in Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, and 2003 saw her return as Natalie Cook in the critically-panned but still profitable Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. But, really, the big moneymaking role was Princess Fiona. 2004’s Shrek 2 was gargantuan, to the point it was difficult to buy tickets for several weeks. And, while Shrek the Third wasn’t quite its pop-cultural juggernaut equal, it did well for itself.
8 Johnny Depp
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $2.867 Billion
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the 2000s proved to be Johnny Depp‘s peak in terms of star power and financial viability. Of course, most of this comes down to his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. But, which of his non-Sparrow roles were profitable?
Captain Jack Sparrow Money
2000’s Chocolat was a big moneymaker, and the only one prior to his nabbing the iconic Disney role. In between the first and second Pirates there was Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Corpse Bride. And, as for what came after At World’s End, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street did fairly well as did Public Enemies.
7 Emma Watson
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $2.874 Billion
If you’re expecting Daniel Radcliffe, he’s not here. But Emma Watson is, because her voice role in 2008’s The Tale of Despereaux gave her the edge over Radcliffe, who stuck with Harry Potter outside a brief role in 2001’s The Tailor of Panama, which didn’t make much of a dent at the box office. And, yet, the fact that Watson is here shows just how much of a financial juggernaut the Potter saga was in the aughts, which is when every installment besides the two-part Deathly Hallows conclusion hit theaters.
The Wizarding World Was a Profitable One
Did Harry Potter’s financial viability peak with the first installment, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? Sure, but a $318.9 million domestic tally in 2001 is absolutely massive. Even the franchise’s lowest-grossing installment (before Fantastic Beasts, of course), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, scored just over $250 million domestically, and while that’s a drop, it’s still nearly twice as much as the film’s $130 million budget.
6 Eddie Murphy
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $2.924 Billion
Easily one of the ’80s biggest stars, Eddie Murphy nonetheless had a tough time drawing viewers in the ’90s. But the aughts brought on a new phase of his career: kids movies. And a lucrative phase it was.
Shrek & Dolittle Money
As mentioned in the Diaz entry, Shrek proved to be a huge moneymaker three times in one decade. But there was also Dr. Dolittle 2, Daddy Day Care, The Haunted Mansion, and the lower-grossing Meet Dave and Imagine That. Then there was Norbit, which was profitable in spite of its quality, and his serious work in Dreamgirls, but there were also a few flops, most notably The Adventure of Pluto Nash.
5 Cate Blanchett
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $3.015 Billion
One of the most versatile performers of her generation or any other, Cate Blanchett is arguably more well-known for her work in smaller films than blockbusters. And, yet, her prolific work throughout the aughts gave her the top spot when it comes to stars of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, save for one. So, what were her big roles outside of playing Galadriel?
Not Only Because of LOTR
Stuff like The Gift, The Shipping News, and The Missing attracted macro-scale attention, but not much. However, 2004’s The Aviator was big, 2006’s Babel netted a tidy profit, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button did well for itself even with a pretty hefty price tag. But it was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that was the icing on the profitable cake.
4 Owen Wilson
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $3.346 Billion
One might expect Ben Stiller to be on this list, and in a way he is. But the majority of his biggest movies also featured Owen Wilson. And Wilson branched out on his own quite a bit throughout the aughts, hence him having the edge. As for the Stiller movies, there was Meet the Parents with $166.2 million, Zoolander, The Royal Tenenbaums, Starsky & Hutch (2004) at a middling $88.2 million, Meet the Fockers with a gargantuan $279.3 million, as well as the successful one-two punch of Night at the Museum and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
“Wow” Is One Word for It
Then there were the Stiller-free comedies, of which there were a few successes: Shanghai Noon, Shanghai Knights, Wedding Crashers with a massive $209.3 million, and You, Me and Dupree. That said, some didn’t soar, like I Spy, The Big Bounce with a paltry $6.5 million, Around the World in 80 Days (2004), and Drillbit Taylor. There were also other Wes Anderson movies to go alongside Tenenbaums, including The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Oh, and a forgotten war movie in Behind Enemy Lines, a Pixar smash in Cars, and a holiday hit in Marley & Me.
3 Morgan Freeman
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $3.387 Billion
There’s really only one other performer on this list who works as often as Morgan Freeman, one of Hollywood’s most beloved presences. The 2000s were no different, showing an acting range as wide as the films’ financial returns. So, what were the big ones?
Almost Always a Box Office Draw
The early aughts had Along Came a Spider, The Sum of All Fears, Million Dolalr Baby, and, in a case of perfect casting, playing God in Bruce Almighty. 2005 was especially massive with the triple threat of March of the Penguins, War of the Worlds, and Batman Begins. Speaking of Batman Begins, Freeman’s biggest moneymaker of the decade was The Dark Knight, but he also starred in Wanted that very same year.
2 Orlando Bloom
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $3.99 Billion
Orlando Bloom isn’t just on this list, he’s nearly at the top of it. And the reason for that comes down to two IPs: The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. Suffice it to say, Bloom got off to a great start in 2001 via playing Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’s $313.4 million, but there was also Black Hawk Down’s $108.6 million to consider.
An Aughts Favorite for a Period Piece
Things continued going that well throughout the early aughts. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) scored $339.8 million, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) netted $305.4 million, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) scored a franchise high of $377 million.
The Pirates franchise also skyrocketed with Dead Man’s Chest before ending (comparatively) soft with At World’s End. And, outside those two franchises, there was the hit swords-and-sandals movie Troy, as well as a few movies that failed to truly take off, e.g. fellow swords-and-sandals movie Kingdom of Heaven.
1 Samuel L. Jackson
Total Adjusted Domestic Gross: $4.093 Billion
You don’t star in as many movies as Samuel L. Jackson and not get an entry on this list. Jackson appeared in nearly 40 movies throughout the aughts, so it’s not entirely surprising all their grosses combined netter him the number one spot. So, what were the big moneymakers?
So Many Movies
2000’s Shaft and Unbreakable did well, though 2001’s The Caveman’s Valentine and Formula 51 flopped hard. 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith didn’t do as well as 1999’s The Phantom Menace, but they were still huge. Then there was xXx, S.W.A.T., The Incredibles, and his cameo in Iron Man. Jackson was and remains a hard worker.
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